Watercolor sketching with Elizabeth Hutchinson and Margaret Owen

sweden

Instead of (swedish) meatballs with that worthwhile combination of jam and gravy that goes with it, the words ” the haddock please” came out of my mouth (and out of nowhere) when I finally got to the server in the cafeteria line. I sat looking at haddock, coated in yellowish fried batter on a cold white plate, trying to decide what to do. It was too late to ditch it and get back in the long line for the meatballs. I tried and then gave up on the haddock, so no dinner but at least there was a good drawing opportunity: so many people and most of them so occupied with meatballs. I rummaged around and found a pen, not my usual pen, but a pen at least and one with a good, fine tip. I found a little, tiny moleskin notebook that I’d fished out of the box of other small things to go in Christmas stockings last week. The notebook was an odd colour (bright orange and more Halloween than Christmas). I reached for my glasses, red ones, from the dollar store. I buy lots of these since I lose them. A friend suggested this and also suggested sprinkling them around the house, putting them in drawers and bags and coat pockets… which I try to do, but didn’t this time. UG. So this is where I thought of Margaret, who will post something regardless, and so, without the glasses, I just drew it anyway; one big, sketchy shape after the other.

Yesterday’s post with the little Swedish carved horse sketch got me thinking about carved horses in general. Another sweep around the web brought me a google image page with carved rocking horses from the 1800’s. These were, presumably, made for children; a particular maker, a particular child. This horse, its shape and colour and the arc under it are part of the story of these individuals, days lived out and love shared.

I went on a little hunt this morning for ideas for Christmas. I was looking for traditional Swedish folk crafts, mainly for knitting ideas. Some of the things I sketched are ancient, from Viking times and others, like the wooden horse and the ceramic hedgehog are from the last century.